


Fear That Holds Us

by Pucaboo



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon Universe, Family, Fluff, Gen, Light Angst, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-12-06 22:52:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18226487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pucaboo/pseuds/Pucaboo
Summary: ‘Rayla, you are the fastest, most skilled fighter I have ever seen for one your age. You have great promise.’ She felt her chest puff out with pride, compliments given so freely were rare with her uncle. ‘However, fear is the mind killer,’ he continued, ‘and I worry for your ability to overcome your fear at vital moments.’





	Fear That Holds Us

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all, I hope you like it. Remember to give a kudos and drop a comment if you enjoyed!

Rayla grabbed the next branch, her leg hooking over the limb of the massive tree so she could straddle it. Taking a breath she gazed down at her progress smugly, she had almost reached the top. Hanging onto a branch above her head, she got to her feet and balanced on the branch. Here she could see the little cottage where she lived with her uncles. They would be sleeping now, unaware that their ward had slipped out of her room and into the night. Guilt coiled in her gut and she bit her lip.

She couldn’t help it. The moon’s beams had snaked through her curtains and up her wall, casting her room in a pale glow. It sang a sweet song that penetrated her skin and touched her blood, her soul. It called her and she found herself powerless to resist. So, she had unlatched her window and crept out into the warm night air.

It was the height of summer and the midnight forest was brimming with dancing lights and sounds of life. Xadia was the home of magic, and the night was when it shone. Insects she was sure Tinker had told her the name of before made shrill calls to potential mates and nocturnal birds cawed their challenge to intruders on their territory. Without the luminescent moss, she wouldn’t have been able to make it to the tree in question. The moss exuded a natural and persistent green light, allowing her to pick her way to the gigantic tree that had been taunting her since she had first discovered it. Tinker had forbidden her from attempting the climb for months, saying it was “too dangerous” and promising that once Runaan returned from his mission, the tree would be fair game. This had turned out to be completely and unforgivably untrue.

Rayla had launched herself at Runaan when he’d walked through the door, welcoming him home and demanding permission to climb the tree in one breath. He went through several facial expressions from shock to confusion before settling on bemusement, raising an eyebrow at his lover. When the situation was explained to him by an exasperated Tinker, Runaan had given her a tired smile and told her they’d talk about it in the morning. This was, as Rayla pointed out, not what had been promised to her. She had wanted to go right then while there was still light in the sky. Her uncles were unwavering however, and they’d retired to bed soon afterwards, leaving her to stew in righteous anger. I mean, _honestly_ , uncle Tinker went on and on about how important truth and trust was and he turned around and lied to her? There was a word for that; she couldn’t remember it, lying in bed, so she had settled for “unfair”.

Now she stood on a stable bough, almost to the top of the tree, where the thick limbs of the tree lessened and became thin branches. They stretched desperately towards the sky and the spray of stars. Towards the crescent moon that hung large and inviting above them all. She gazed up into it, basking in its light, feeling like the offshoots surrounding her, like if she could just stretch up a bit further she could-

- _Crack_

The branch she clung to with one arm tore half free from the bark and she was leaning too far out to avoid losing her balance. The limb of the tree split from the right and she tipped left on one foot. She cursed her decision not to change and, realising that she was not about to win a fight against momentum, Rayla leaned into the fall. She turned to the left and grabbed onto the arm of the tree with her other hand. She pushed off of the bare foot that still had purchase and attempted to swing to one of the lower boughs. The fissure gave a deafening crack above her as it bore her weight before breaking off completely. She let go as she fell forward into the leaves below. 

She crashed into a branch, knocking the air clear from her lungs. Bright stars exploded across her vision and her chest burned, searing and terrible. She slung a leg over before throwing herself onto her back and gasping for air. She coughed for what felt like an eternity, diaphragm spasming. She eventually sat up and prodded her ribs gingerly. Wincing, she deduced that while not broken they were bruised. Again, not broken which meant she could continue her climb, albeit at a slower pace. A slower, painful pace. This tree would not get the best of her, that much she was sure of. Leaves tickling her neck, Rayla rose to her feet and, taking a deep breath, began to scale it once more.

She moved from bough to bough at the speed of a geriatric tortoise, avoiding giving into the impulse to jump even the shorter distances. She climbed past the branch she had ripped from the bark and saw that it had been severed clean off. Wondering if it had crashed to the floor of the forest, she tried to peer down through the foliage. The moss, unfortunately could not illuminate that far down and so she was left to ponder the ultimate fate of the treeless branch.

The limbs of the tree turned thin and willowy and she was careful lest a thin arm give out suddenly under her and send her tumbling back down again. She wasn’t certain she would get up and try again. Up another and another and another, and then she was clinging to the trunk of the tree, feet wedged into a thicket of young offshoots. Finally, she looked out at her conquest.

She had indeed found the tallest tree in the vicinity. Her tree towers over the others, a king amongst them. Rayla had taken that crown, she was queen of the forest now, ruler over all. She gazed out at the sea of dark green, her subjects, and wondered if this was how the Dragon King and Queen felt. Powerful. She could see the cliffs bordering the secluded valley and the waterfalls cascading down their sheer faces. The long winding river cutting a path through the trees. The clearing that contained her small life with Runaan and Tinker and sometimes her parents. Her home was breathtaking in the moonlight and it made it worth the bruised-but-maybe-actually-broken ribs just to see this. To breathe it.

An odd sound distracted her from her thoughts. She turned to see an Archangel Lunaris hovering mere inches from her face. Rayla understood that they were attracted to her moon connection, in the same way they were attracted to the moon itself. She also knew they meant no harm — she did — but they were creepy with their long, spindly legs and fluttering green wings. Beady black eyes that watched her, twitching. She didn’t like moths full stop, and it didn’t help that this variety was insistent on following and landing on her with their fluttery wings and black, creepy legs. Her reaction was to be expected.

‘Ack!’

She jumped backwards, arms flailing and only registered that there was nothing behind her after it was too late to do anything. Rayla screamed.

 _It was a nice life_ , she thought, hurtling towards the forest floor. Something shot from one of the other trees towards her. That something caught her mid air and landed gracefully on a branch before leaping to the floor, Rayla still cradled in his arms.

Runaan set her down and even in the dim glow of the moss surrounding them she knew he was angry. He regarded her for a few seconds, eyebrows pulled down in a frown, crouched at eye level with her. She waited. It was agony.

The seconds ticked by and then she couldn't do it anymore; she had to explain.

‘I-’

‘Why did you fall?’ he asked.

Of all the things she was expecting that was definitely not it. Her mouth worked to answer the question, but her brain wouldn't cooperate and she was left opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water.

Runaan raised an eyebrow, expression schooled from a slight frown to its usual blank look. ‘You made it to the top,’ he said, prompting her, ' but then something startled you and you fell. Why?’

There were dark bags under his eyes, ones she didn’t even notice earlier. He must have been travelling constantly, barely sleeping, to get home to them safely. Even in Xadia the roads were not always kind. She was so selfish for keeping him up looking after her. She owed it to him to be honest.

‘There was an Archangel Lunaris uncle Runaan…' Her cheeks coloured. ‘I hate moths.’

‘A moth scared you?’ There was an odd quality to his voice, something Rayla didn’t recognise. His expression was always difficult to read. Stoic and reserved. She could guess how he was feeling though. Shame rushed through her and she looked down at her feet.

She nodded, and he sighed. ‘Come with me, Rayla.’

He led her through the forest at a jog; she tried very hard not to reveal how hurt she was. If he noticed the irregular sharp inhales, he made no comment. Where the canopy thinned the moon leaked through the foliage and caught Runaan’s silver hair, which Tinker had shaved to a stubble when he’d left for his mission. His missions were strictly confidential, but it was clear this time he would be conducting business in the far south, where thick, hip length hair was not only impractical, but conspicuous. It had grown to his ears in the months since, of a length with Rayla’s hair now. It made them look more like father and daughter. She didn’t know how that made her feel.

They reached their destination: the main river that curved through their valley. Runaan spun to face her and Rayla halted.

‘Do you know what I do?’ he asked. Her brow furrowed.

‘You serve Xadia, like my parents.’

‘Yes, but do you know what that means?' 

'You kill people,' she whispered.

'Why?'

'We would do anything for Xadia,' she answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 'It's our words: "My heart for Xadia".' 

‘I’m glad to hear you’ve been paying attention.’ His lips quirked almost imperceptibly. His mood shifted then, like he remembered why they were having this conversation. ‘We are Moonshadow Elves,’ he said, all traces of amusement gone from his face, ‘we do not fear death.’

Oh.

She knew this. It had been drilled into her since before she could walk. Moonshadow Elves were taught to fear nothing. Not even death. They would never falter, never hesitate. It was what made them such excellent assassins. That would be her job. Her destiny.

And she was scared of a moth. A moth linked to the same primal source as her no less. It was no wonder Runaan was disappointed.

‘Rayla, you are the fastest, most skilled fighter I have ever seen for one your age. You have great promise.’ She felt her chest puff out with pride, compliments given so freely were rare with her uncle. ‘However, fear is the mind killer,’ he continued, ‘and I worry for your ability to overcome your fear at vital moments.’

Her head fell, bare toes digging into the mud of the riverbank. Her cheeks burned hot as the night air. Runaan reached out a hand and tilted her head up forcing her to meet his stern blue eyes. The scent of his sweat mingled with the fresh, muddy smell that permeated the air. The heat was suffocating.

‘I will admit that Moonshadow Elves still feel fear, even me — even your parents — but if we gave into it, if we let it rule us? We would hesitate at key moments, doubt ourselves, and in those seconds we would fail. I would die-’ Rayla flinched- ‘and your parents…

The egg of the Dragon Prince. He didn't need to say it, or even explain it. Rayla knew how important that egg is, how it held the fate of the world inside of it. Her parents had been tasked with the most important job in the kingdom and it was an honour to be their daughter. If they let something like a moth distract them from that, they would destroy Xadia’s future.

She understood.

‘I’m sorry.'

He studied her a little longer, eyes boring into hers. What he expected to find Rayla couldn't say. He pulled away, frowning, and pointed to the water. Her heart jolted in her chest, fresh perspiration stuck the cotton shirt to her back. She could feel herself backing away and was powerless to stop it.

'We can start small.' 

‘I -Uh- I’m tired right now and won’t uncle Tinker be worried if we’re not home when he wakes up?’ She gave a laugh she hoped was believable, but it came out as a choked sound.

Runaan’s frown deepened. ‘Your uncle won’t wake until sunrise and when he discovers that you’ve muddied your night clothes and injured yourself…’ He gestured again to the river as if it were the most simple thing in the world.

Tinker would be angry for a few explosive seconds before he noticed her pain and then he’d become the most attentive doctor in all of Xadia, worrying himself sick over her wellbeing. Caring for the health of another’s child must be nerve-wracking. Rayla almost groaned thinking about the training sessions she would spend in bed, bored. Gods save her.

She must have been clutching her night shirt because Runaan crouched next to her again and asked: ‘May I see?’

Rayla let him lift the hem of her shirt to see her ribs. He ran his fingers over them a few times, gauging her reaction and feeling them for breakage. She was proud of how calm she remained throughout as he brushed over some of the more painful bruises. Completing his assessment, he rose and pointed once again to the water.

‘Your ribs are merely bruised, a dip in the water will help ease the swelling and numb the pain. You can clean up as well and I will be with you the entire time.’

Rayla thought she would rather break every bone in her body one-by-one than walk into the water. She was about to say as much to Runaan, but then she caught his eye. She thought of his job, his duty to their country. Her parents’ duty. The egg of the Dragon Prince and his future. _Her_ future.

She would join her parents one day in defending that egg or join Runaan on his missions. Either way, there would be bigger things to fear than moths and water. She would need to be ready. “My heart for Xadia”, nobody had ever told her how difficult it would be. She would do it though. She knew she would die for this place, her home. For every creature that lived and breathed here.

Their protection required her bravery, her fearlessness even when staring down death itself.

Rayla walked determinedly towards the water, Runaan following close behind.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> The relationship between Rayla and Runaan is so interesting and wanted to explore what Rayla's childhood might've been like. It started out as me trying to write a few descriptive paragraphs because OH BOY am I rusty. It kinda snowballed from there. 
> 
> I don't know if Rayla could walk, let alone climb a tree with bruised ribs as I've never bruised my ribs. However, she fought and walked around and performed acrobatics with a dying hand so I'm using that as an excuse.
> 
> This might end up being multi-chaptered because I want to go into other aspects of their life, but I am also out of practise at the moment so we'll see. Stay tuned!
> 
> (Also, if anyone knows if I'm tagging everything correctly, DM me. I'm new to this lmao.


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